Detour Pit Stop #12: Parker Palm Springs hotel, California, USA
You can feel the glamour radiating from the designer buildings and perfectly manicured gardens, and almost hear the stories of stars and their entourage being whispered by the palm trees as you cruise up toward the Parker Palm Springs.
This part of California made a name for itself as home to the Rat Pack and Hollywood set. Initially, it was where the big production studios insisted their talent – be it on screen or behind the camera –took their vacations during filming periods, given it was no more than a two hour drive away should they need to be urgently summoned. Soon enough, the talent warmed to Palm Springs and bought up their own plush plots in the desertscape, earning it the title ‘Hollywood’s Playground’.
For a couple of days, Palm Springs and the enveloping embrace of the San Jacinto mountain range, was my playground and a Mercedes SL63 AMG my plaything. And my base was one of the original hip hotels of the noughties, the Parker Palm Springs.
The Parker was given a celebrated $27m makeover in 2003, by Jonathan Adler, the designer. It remains something of a must-visit feature of Palm Springs. Whether dropping in for afternoon tea, taking cocktails by either of the pools or simply hiding away for a night or three with someone special, it delivers a sense of occasion that you’ll go home and tell friends about.
The SL was at home gently rolling through the modernist architecture of Palm Springs, roof lowered, sunglasses on and suncream applied. But I’d heard from one of the bellboys at the hotel that there was a more testing road route worth detouring for; the Palms to Pines Scenic Byway.
This 60-mile route through the San Bernardino mountain range was flanked by LA to its west, the Mojave Desert to the north, the world’s largest Marine Corps camp due east and Palm Springs down south. In short, it was the perfect, digestible slice of Americana.
I cruised and revelled in the rumble of the V8, breathed in the viewed and occasionally even set the tyres shrieking, such was the nature of the road at times. But in such sizzling temperatures, it was soon time to return to the Parker for a refreshing mojito or two in the tranquil surroundings of its lush, oasis-like gardens.
It’s all far cry from its roots. The hotel began life in 1959 as California’s first Holiday Inn. Now, with its designer decor and decadent but playful vibe, it makes a memorable base for exploring Palm Springs and the equally memorable roads of the surrounding mountain ranges.
Words James Mills Twitter | Instagram
Photography Parker Palm Springs
Roadbook
Class: Desert oasis
Name: Parker Palm Springs
Route: Palm to Pines scenic byway
Country: USA